Advertise with TheSmartLocal

Advertise on TheSmartLocal

According to traffic estimator , TSL is the most read lifestyle site in Singapore. But what makes us special is how we function as a 'creative agency', 'production house', and 'media outlet' all rolled into one. In a nutshell, we either come up or assist you with the creative strategy/idea for the media asset then distribute it on our channels, which have a combined reach of over 3 million Singaporeans per month. We help manage the process from production to dissemination, with one single point of contact. Our team comprises editors, writers, creatives, videographers, animators, graphic designers, hosts, photographers, models, and so on.

Doing everything in-house also means you get content out faster as there's only one company involved, and everyone is aligned. Sometimes, we're able to publish content as fast as one day after the brief is received. We regularly work closely with all types of media agencies, government boards and clients in Singapore - we nail briefs, overachieve KPIs, and we help our agency partners win marketing awards (, , ).

Another differentiator for TSL is our four-channel approach that helps advertisers get cross-platform coverage across all the major channels in Singapore. Too often, digital advertising is done on just one channel as most publishers are strong only on a single platform. But the Internet is more than just Facebook and Instagram. And their marketing reaches just a fragment of the social media sphere. TSL has a strong presence across on all the major channels in Singapore, allowing advertisers to get their messages distributed through a holistic approach. This is our multi-channel approach

TSL website (Content Marketing)

Facebook page (Social Media Marketing)

Instagram (Influencer Marketing)

YouTube (Video Marketing)

(Bonus) In pamphlets, malls, TV, cinema (Outdoor Display Marketing)

After the digital push, clients also have the option of using our videos as media assets for outdoor advertising, like the video above displayed at JCube. Or the we produced which was first marketed on Facebook before being shown in cinemas islandwide.

Advertising Workflow

Step 1: Our content strategists work closely with clients to conceptualise a creative way to market your message. Advertising doesn't mean you have to produce bad content - nobody wants to see hard-sell explicit advertising. We specialise in creating engaging content that gets social media buzzing and people talking. Here's an example of such a branded content article we did. Those who say organic reach is dead are doing it wrong. All the engagement below is organic.

Yes, it is an advertorial - but that doesn't matter. Look at the positive feelings readers will associate with your brand. This is what can be achieved with good content.

Step 2: This content will then be disseminated to over 500,000 followers through blog posts, Facebook and Instagram. For bigger campaigns, we also provide video marketing through our YouTube channel.

Advertising Channels

Channel 1: TSL Website Reach - 1.1M Unique Visitors Monthly

TheSmartLocal averages over 2.3 million sessions from 1 million unique visitors each month, with 65% of our readers being regular, returning readers. For comparison, big local online magazines/portals typically get 200k visits monthly. Just input your favourite website into to get a good estimate of a website's traffic.

Channel 2: Facebook (Reach: 6 Million+ Organic Monthly)

Brands today struggle to get 5% of their fans reached on their organic posts. I am not sure how we got 9 million people reached in a week above but our Facebook reach is insane. Our stories regularly go viral in Singapore and beyond. Here's a viral social media campaign we executed for Paragon.

Every story we cover will be amplified on our Facebook page to over 330,000+ followers. Age demographics on our Facebook are similar to our website. In addition, we ensure every advertorial hits its target guaranteed views - if it doesn't do so organically, we will boost the posts on Facebook at our own cost, guaranteeing your story is seen by a mass audience.

We have also introduced advertising options through Facebook videos and Facebook Live. We do the filming and distribution, and you're allowed to retain the video as an asset for your own social media promotion. Here are the organic statistics of one of our FB videos.

Here's a FB Live video we did for National Gallery Singapore

We also offer YouTube Live streaming as a service, with talents, videographers, and backstage admins to manage the whole event smoothly. Here's a GIF of our behind-the-scenes monitoring.

Here's a full so we can see how many comments we get every second. Our live streaming is advanced with multi-camera views, set design, prepared scripts, and prepared artwork. We highly recommend YouTube streams over Facebook streams as they get 200-400% more concurrent viewers.

Channel 3: Instagram Reach (75,000+ Followers)

We have an Instagram following of over 75,000 - one of the highest in Singapore for a non-individual account. When a company advertises with us, we create interesting and original media on our Instagram to reach more people on yet another channel. Play the video above to get an idea of the standard of media we create.

Additionally, we'll take care of the arrangements for additional Influencers if you'd like more 'influencer' coverage from our talents - but this comes at an extra cost.

Channel 4: Video Marketing (2.5 mil+ Channel Views Monthly)

We create beautiful media that opens up the avenue of video marketing to our 120,000+ YouTube subscribers. Here's a video from the "Discover Indonesia" campaign we did for Changi Airport. We promoted 5 Indonesian destinations to Singaporeans through compelling editorial content, video travelogues and social media. The campaign received over 2 million views in total across the 4 channels after the first two months.

The next year, Changi Airport Group engaged us again to create a 4-part series which also performed well, and our videos were played in Golden Village cinemas. We've been working with them for three years.

Our videos also shown across shopping malls and buildings as part of the content strategy of shopping malls. Lifestyle malls just want good content to show on their screens, and turn to us for content. Here is another advertorial video we did for a client, NTUC.

TheSmartLocal Demographics

TheSmartLocal readers are made up of Singaporeans looking for ideas on what to do in and out of Singapore. We cover the best activities, travel ideas, hotels, restaurants and so on and promote good finds and promotions to Singaporeans.

These are our demographic figures over a large sample size. 85% of our traffic is from Singapore and 80% of our readers are between 18-35 with slightly more female readership (63%). Our biggest group is aged 25-34 - the young working adults. This makes up a hefty 42% of our reader base.

How to Advertise with TheSmartLocal

A single viral post of ours can exceed 100k pageviews, which is more than the monthly circulation of most magazines and more than the readership of most websites in Singapore. Yet we charge a fraction of the pricing on print media and our results are measurable. You'll get a detailed report of your campaign at the end, down to industry benchmark comparisons. The best part? Unlike traditional media where the time-frame of your advertising is limited, these posts created by us last FOREVER on the internet.

For smaller companies and new advertisers, we recommend trying out our basic sponsored post first, like the ones we created for Old Chang Kee and that performed well, and more importantly made consumers think more about the aunties/attendants they interact with at kiosks. This comes with social media amplification on our Facebook page.

For agencies and companies looking for mass coverage, we create exciting media that make readers sit up, be impressed and remember your brand name. We get people talking. A front-page feature, series of editorial campaigns, videos and social media coverage can be scheduled to give your brand exposure over an extended time period in a discounted package. We also provide other digital services but it's our traffic and reach that you ultimately want to utilise.

Amplification Of Content Through Social Media

Social Media Amplification - Our content is shared to over 330,000 of our followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We have written some of the most viral posts in Singapore history. The screenshot above was part of a series of articles commissioned for the #SG50 campaign.

Some of our reviews have been highly influential - a positive review went viral and caused so much hype for the restaurant that all the local newspapers covered the queues it was getting.

Our advertising translates into real-world results which are sometimes so huge they block the entrances of their competitors.

Past Clients and Collaborations

We have had the privilege of working with many MNC companies, large businesses, agencies and home-grown local companies.

We also have a long collection of testimonials that can be seen upon request. Should you wish to receive our latest media kit, have a look at previous case studies or have any further questions, feel free to call our office or send an email to[email protected].

And if you want to learn more about digital marketing in Singapore, check out my .

About the author

Bryan loves exploring Singapore and sharing his travel adventures with readers. He enjoys photography, film making, coding and writing. He is trying to learn fashion after someone said he looked like a 40 year old. He is not 40 years old.

He's Managing Editor at local lifestyle portal TheSmartLocal.com. He thanks you for reading this and apologises for talking in third person.